In 2021, more than 63,000 children were assessed as developmentally vulnerable when they started school, according to the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC). This analysis highlights the circumstances of disadvantage experienced by many of these children, how inequity of access to high quality Early Education...

This position paper outlines a number of policy initiatives the Mitchell Institute would like to see the next Australian government take action on.

This paper argues that the provision of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services should be treated as a strategic industry of national importance – not just a ‘market’, and not just a ‘cost’ item on government budgets.

This report reviews several economic aspects of Australia’s failure to both allocate sufficient economic resources to early child education and care services, and to ensure that those resources are used to provide the best-quality services possible.

The content of this plan is primarily driven by direct consultation with children and young people. In this way, the Advocate for Children and Young People is not relying on what they assume children and young people need and want, but speaking to them directly...

This paper presents the results of a four-year longitudinal study – including two years of preschool (age 4 years), kindergarten, and first grade – designed to identify the early quantitative competencies that predict readiness to learn mathematics at school entry.

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has released its 36th NQF Snapshot report, summarising quality rating results for education and care services operating under the National Quality Framework (NQF).

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has published this refreshed version of the NQF Evaluation Framework, developed in collaboration with the Australian and state and territory governments. The framework provides an agreed way of understanding how the National Quality Framework (NQF) is...

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), in collaboration with all governments, has released the fifth Annual Performance Report on the National Quality Framework (NQF).

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term that refers to the diversity in brain functioning associated with a range of developmental conditions and experiences. This paper provides an overview of principles and strategies that can help practitioners to support children with neurodiversity to engage in counselling and...

The purpose of this strategy is to pave the way for governments, non‑government sectors and communities to collectively support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to grow up healthy, engaged with education, connected to family and community, and strong in culture.

This report investigates skill underutilisation in Australian workers by examining patterns of over-skilling and over-qualification and the pathways of people into jobs where they are over-skilled. It also examines what businesses are doing, if anything, to maximise skill usage.

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has released its 35th NQF Snapshot report, summarising quality rating results for education and care services operating under the National Quality Framework (NQF).

This research report examines the health risks posed to young children from COVID-19, the risk of children transmitting the virus, and the strategies that early learning centres need to implement to reduce the risk of transmission.

This briefing paper summarises key findings from the NSW Child Development Study’s research looking at the relationship between maltreatment of children before entry to school and educational outcomes in primary school.

The purpose of this literature review is to undertake a concise review of contemporary literature and other frameworks to identify areas of strength and potential areas for updating the national Approved Learning Frameworks (ALFs).

This strategy document has been developed to support the recruitment, retention, sustainability and quality of the sector workforce.

Developed by the National Early Language and Literacy Coalition, this proposed strategy sets out the scale of the issue, describes what is happening on the ground in different communities, and puts forward a framework for action.

A national consortium led by a partnership between Macquarie University, Queensland University of Technology and Edith Cowan University was engaged by ACECQA on behalf of all governments to lead this project, and this paper was prepared by the Chief Investigators of the consortium.

The Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has taken a first look at data from a recent evidence use survey. The initial findings presented in this infographic help to understand how early childhood and school practitioners currently use evidence in their work.